The present invention is related to the mounting of electronic display devices for displaying information to patrons of a business establishment. More particularly, the present invention is directed to an adjustable bracket that can be used to mount an electronic display monitor or mini-computer to a shelf of a retail store or similar business so that pricing and/or other product information can be provided to a customer in electronic form.
Present day retail establishments, particularly non-specialty establishments, typically stock a plethora of different goods. Not only do such establishments commonly stock goods of many types, they often stock different products or brands of products within a particular class of goods. Each of these products typically requires that pricing and/or other product-specific information be displayed in relation thereto.
As consumers have become more interested in the specifics of many of the products they purchase, such as foodstuffs, for example, manufacturers have correspondingly made more product information available to the public. Thus, with the multitude of products available to today's consumer, and the wealth of information that now commonly exists with respect to such products, it is desirable for retail establishments to provide the consumer with an on-site and efficient means of accessing this additional information.
Consequently, in the retail business especially, it would be convenient to be able to present the consumer with all, or a large portion of such information at a single source. For example, when considering a foodstuff, typical information may be related to rebate instructions, the existence of coupons, or special pricing. The information may also be more product specific, such as the product's nutritional information, for example. Certainly, it can be understood that depending on the particular type of products considered and the level of detail desired, the amount of information that may be provided can be substantial.
To this end, it has been discovered that electronic displays are an excellent means of providing a large and diverse amount of information to a consumer in an efficient manner. The electronic displays may be of such a size that they can be effectively located at or near a product display without requiring excessive space. Such electronic displays may be provided for by using a monitor connected to a remote computer. Alternatively, and more preferably, a stand-alone mini computer having an integrated display may be used. One such stand-alone computer that is especially well-suited to use for this purpose is described in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/937,976, entitled Fanless Computer With Integrated Display and filed on Sep. 10, 2004. Such electronic displays may provide information via a non-changing display screen, or a touch screen or other means may be provided to allow a customer to access additional information. Therefore, the amount of information that may be provided via these electronic displays is virtually endless.
Because products are typically displayed on shelves, particularly in a retail store setting, it is desirable to be able to locate these electronic displays on the shelves as well. However, it has been discovered that retail store shelving is of varying size, without any particular set of standards. Consequently, a mounting device developed to attach an electronic display device to one specific type/size of shelving may not work to mount the display device to shelving of a different type/size. This is problematic for several reasons. First, a single retail establishment may utilize shelving of various size—such as to accommodate differently sized products. Thus, a single retail establishment employing these electronic displays would be forced to maintain a supply of dissimilar mounting devices. Additionally, in order to facilitate attachment of such electronic display devices to the various sizes and types of shelving in existence, an entity that wishes to supply and/or install the displays to retail sales and other customers would also have to stock what could be a considerable number of different mounting devices.
Aside from issues of varying shelf size, it has also been found that display shelving is often constructed or rather thin materials. As a result, such shelves may not exhibit a desirable amount of stability subsequent to the attachment of an electronic display device thereto. This situation may be especially problematic when employing electronic display devices incorporating touch screens, for example, as the interaction between a customer and the display device may put additional stress on the shelf to which the display device is mounted.
Therefore, from the foregoing, it can be understood that what is desirable is a mounting device that can be used to attach an electronic display device to shelving of various size. The adjustable bracket assembly of the present invention fulfills this desire. The adjustable bracket assembly of the present invention allows an electronic display to be easily attached to shelving having a considerably different depth, as well as a different height. The adjustable bracket assembly also facilitates the removal or relocation of an electronic display device, and acts to strengthen and stabilize shelving constructed of weak materials.
While retail store shelving may be of varying size, it has been determined that there is at least one feature common to each size—a series of holes that reside near the rear of the top surface thereof. In addition, the different sizes of shelving generally fall within a range of depths and thicknesses. The adjustable bracket assembly of the present invention makes use of these shelving features to allow the bracket assembly to be easily but securely affixed to a wide variety of shelving.
The adjustable bracket assembly preferably includes a substantially C-shaped front bracket arranged in a sliding relationship with a rear bracket having an upwardly extending portion. The brackets may be slidably displaced and secured in position to accommodate shelving of different depth. The C-shaped front bracket is provided with ample spacing between a bottom leg and a top surface leg thereof to also accommodate shelving of different height. The shape of the front bracket allows it to trap a portion of the shelf to which it is installed. One or more fasteners or similar devices may be used to releasably secure the position of the front bracket to the shelf. The position of the rear bracket is preferably secured by passing a threaded fastener through one of the aforementioned holes in the shelf, and thereafter securing the bracket to the shelf with a like-threaded nut.
The adjustable bracket assembly also includes an electronic display mounting bracket for attaching electronic display device to the bracket assembly. Preferably, the electronic display mounting bracket is attached to the C-shaped front bracket so that the electronic display device is located near the front of the shelf. The electronic display mounting bracket may have different configurations to allow the vertical position of the electronic display to be set at different levels with respect to the shelf.
A printer may also be associated with the shelf by attaching the printer (or a printer housing) to the adjustable bracket assembly. Preferably, the printer is attached to the adjustable bracket assembly in a hanging arrangement, such that the printer resides below the shelf. Other arrangements are, of course, also possible.
A printer housing may be provided to house the printer and to provide a surface for attachment of the printer to the adjustable bracket assembly. In one embodiment, the housing may consist of several individual components, including an enclosure, a base, and a front cover. A printer mounting bracket may be used to facilitate attachment of the housing to the adjustable bracket assembly.
The design of the adjustable bracket assembly not only makes it easy to install an electronic display to a shelf, it also allows use of the shelf space behind the area of the electronic display device. More specifically, because only the top leg of the C-shaped front bracket resides above the top surface of the shelf when installed thereto, a majority of the shelf space behind the electronic display will still be available for displaying products. Additionally, because provisions are preferably made for allowing power and communication cables to be routed through a portion of the adjustable bracket assembly residing beneath the shelf, no additional space is occupied thereby. Thus, the adjustable bracket assembly of the present invention provides for an easy, adaptable, and space conserving means of securely mounting an electronic display device to a shelf.